WASHINGTON — The Armenian National Institute (ANI) announced the launch of an Arabic version of its website on the Armenian Genocide, which will continue to be expanded over the coming months. The site can be accessed at arabic.armenian-genocide.org or through the main ANI site at https://www.armenian-genocide.org/.
The ANI website contains extensive records on the history and affirmation of the World War I-era Armenian Genocide, when 1.5 million Armenians fell victim to the Young Turk government’s policy of mass deportation and annihilation. The initial release of the Arabic language site includes the Chronology of the Genocide, FAQs, original documentation, archival material, references on international affirmation, and contemporaneous photo evidence, as well as links to the online Armenian Genocide Museum of America, legal documents, focused exhibits, teaching resources and more.
“These resources have not been available to Arabic speakers in the past, yet the role many Arab states played in mitigating the effects of the Armenian Genocide and the dangers posed by the Turkish government’s efforts to deny and rewrite that history are as alive as ever. We know the consequences of Turkey’s censorship on its own history and are pleased to provide these resources to Arabic reading scholars, teachers, and the public,” stated ANI Chairman Van Krikorian. “During the Genocide, of course the Ottoman Turkish government used Arabic script, including to record the government’s own post-war trials where Turkish leaders were convicted of planning and executing the extermination of the Armenian race. We will be adding original Arabic script documents in time as well. Most of all, we thank all those who contributed to this project’s development and look forward to its expansion,” Krikorian noted.
Large diaspora communities formed across the Arab world after the Armenian Genocide. In contrast to the destruction of ancient Armenian centers across Ottoman Turkey, newly-formed Middle East communities created by survivors and refugees recovered and flourished over the following decades, and substantial Armenian communities continue to exist across the region. Countries like Lebanon and Syria are also among the list of 30 countries that have formally recognized the Armenian Genocide.
Among the earliest critics of the Young Turk policy of genocide was the Sharif of Mecca, Al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali, who called upon fellow Muslims to protect, help, and defend the deported Armenians. This remarkable pronouncement by the guardian of the Holy Places of Islam was largely heeded and stood in sharp contrast to the proclamation of jihad by the religious leadership in the Ottoman capital of Istanbul.
The ANI site also includes links to memorials around the world, including to the “Armenian Genocide Memorial Church” in Der Zor, Syria which was intentionally destroyed by terrorist forces coordinating with the Erdogan regime in Turkey in 2014.
